Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Today marks the last day for Livingston County’s Health Officer and the Board of Commissioners appears no closer to appointing anyone to the position.

Longtime Director Diane McCormick is retiring. She’s recommended that the board appoint Deputy Health Officer Matt Bolang to the position, who is also the Director of Environmental Health. The board has been debating whether to appoint Bolang or launch a search – which would cost around $21,000.

Following a lengthy meeting Monday, again mostly dominated by public comments, the board voted to table a resolution that would have established a special committee to oversee the appointment, determine if a search should be pursued, and if so, what parameters.

Chairman Wes Nakagiri and Commissioners Doug Helzerman and Jay Drick were opposed to tabling the resolution while Mitchell Zajac was absent.

At a previous meeting where the matter was discussed at length, Commissioners Helzerman, Carol Griffith, Martin Smith and Jay Gross all expressed support for Bolang – saying the County already has an excellent, well qualified candidate in place with knowledge and years of experience. Those preferring a search be conducted were Nakagiri and Commissioners Brenda Plank, Carol Sue Reader, and Drick. Zajac was absent.

An organized group that includes a number of parents have been attending meetings calling for an “exhaustive search” and that the board not “rubber stamp” a candidate. Many stated students and businesses have suffered enough and they “won’t tolerate another tyrant” and want someone in the role who stands for “medical freedom” and will push back against mandates. Many also referenced what they felt were excessive and illegal student quarantines, and made comments related to the Constitution and “we the people”.

Others commented that it didn’t seem as though those pushing for a wide search really want the best possible candidate but rather someone with a different way of thinking about public health and policies that ignore science, ignore the state health department and protect freedoms over the public health of citizens. One urged the board to not spend $21,000 on a search to hire a stranger that is anti-science, saying it’s the same comments every meeting with canned talking points coming from a small minority group of parents and their supporters pushing the “big lie” and a pro-Trump agenda.

Bolang has been endorsed by many throughout the County, including Sheriff Mike Murphy and Drain Commissioner Brian Jonckheere, who spoke Monday.

Jonckheere stated that it is the board’s job to make the decision but what concerns him is the “orchestrated attempt” to intimidate people with the same talking points and people picketing outside of commissioners’ places of business – which “is being orchestrated by a member of our own community”.

Jonckheere said it’s some of the most disgusting examples of government he’s seen during his tenure with the county – adding he thought he had seen it all with some the townships but “this has gone even lower”. He requested that the board not allow intimidation to drive the decision, regardless of whatever it is.

Jonckheere said they see it a lot being on people’s property and he’s had death threats and all sorts of negative interactions but they’ve never stooped this low to try and weaponize a group with talking points in order to pressure fellow commissioners into a decision - adding it’s sad and being seen by “all of your department heads, directors and their deputies”.

The resolution named Reader, Helzerman and Plank as members of the proposed committee.

Helzerman commented that his gut feeling was they wouldn’t find anyone better than Bolang and he could do without the extra step of a search but would be willing to serve on the committee.

Reader stated that the board spent a lot of time last year coming up with protocols to follow dealing with appointments and felt a committee might not be necessary at this time and that personnel could handle it.

Griffith again referenced their strategic plan, succession planning and protocols. She expressed concerns if they were going to start picking and choosing different departments with succession planning.

Nakagiri again stressed a desire for a search to find the best possible candidate, stating the position holds “tremendous authority” to quarantine individuals and encroach on their rights.

Smith was not pleased with the process or the resolution put forward. He said he wasn’t informed about it until he saw the agenda and was never asked to be on any committee – adding the words “I, my, and me” have been used a lot on the subject and he thinks it speaks “very lousy to us”. Smith said as Commissioners, they’re supposed to represent the entirety of the 200,000 residents of the County and the “lack of inclusion” of the non-participating members of the proposed committee made him even more worrisome.

Smith said his understanding is that Bolang has already passed muster with MDHHS, and has years of service – including working through a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. He commented further that he felt McCormick did a masterful job in trying to walk a fine line between dictating very unpopular stances pushed down from CDC and trying to allow people to have that personal freedom of decision making for their own health.

Smith said it’s a “very difficult position to put people in” and thinks McCormick did a masterful job of trying to give as best guidance as possible without mandating – adding “the Department deserves a salute as opposed to what they’re getting today”.

It has been stated during meetings that that whoever is appointed by the board must also ultimately be approved by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The board will be seeking more information on that due to uncertainty about the requirements.

It was also stated that Bolang has been named acting director until a replacement is determined so the Department won’t be without a leader during discussions.